Time Lord rock

Time Lord rock (sometimes shortened to Trock) is a genre of geek rock music based on, and about, the Doctor Who television series. It was created in 2008 in the United Kingdom with the formation of Chameleon Circuit.

History

Photograph of a group singing and playing instruments on stage.
Chameleon Circuit performing in August 2011.

In 1988, The KLF released the single "Doctorin' the Tardis" under the alternative band name The Timelords, which reached number 1 in the UK singles chart as well as charting in other countries. However, the group never released anything else under this name or with the same subject, nor did any other band follow up on the single, leaving it as a novelty rather than a genre.[1]

In the summer of 2008, Alex Day, a YouTuber and fan of Doctor Who, was inspired by the growing phenomenon of wizard rock (formed from Harry Potter fandom) to begin writing songs about Doctor Who, dubbing the resulting genre "Time Lord Rock" (abbreviated to "Trock", after the "Wrock" abbreviation used for wizard rock).[1][2][3][4] Charlie McDonnell, also a fan, did the same, and released an acoustic video performance of "Blink" on YouTube.[5] Combined with the Scottish vloggers Liam Dryden and Chris Beattie, they formed the first Time Lord rock band, Chameleon Circuit.[3]

Time Lord rock performers are usually British or Australian.[1] Chicago-based Time Crash may be the first American band playing in the genre.[1]

Groups and performers

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Kirby, Megan (November 19, 2013). "Time Crash brings Time Lord rock across the pond". Chicago Reader.
  2. Wilkes, Neil. "Introducing Trock: Songs about 'Doctor Who'". DigitalSpy.com. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Harvison, Anthony. "Chameleon Circuit review and interview". Den of Geek. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
  4. Stephens, Huw (25 November 2013). The Story of Trock. BBC Radio 1. Archive on Soundcloud.
  5. 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Wilson, MacKenzie (September 19, 2011), "Nerd Out to ‘Doctor Who’ Tunes: A Trock Rock Top 5", Anglophenia (BBC America), retrieved 4 April 2015